Two suspected fraudsters dupe and rape 23-year-old lady in uncompleted building in Lagos

Two suspected fraudsters, Rotimi Fisher and Sherif Adebayo, have been arrested for allegedly defrauding a 23-year-old lady in the Ipaja area of Lagos state. 

The suspects, who are both married with two children each, lured the victim to an uncompleted building on Majiyagbe Street, Ipaja, where Adebayo allegedly raped her.

According to PUNCH report, Adebayo who posed as a foreign businessman, had approached people to help him locate an address. 

The suspect claimed he came to Nigeria to deliver goods to one of his clients at the address and to collect his outstanding payments.

A source said the victim who was on her way to a destination in Iyana Ipaja, offered to help him but upon checking the address, she did not know the location. 

“But as the girl was trying to help Fisher, Adebayo suddenly came as a neutral person and offered to assist Fisher, whereas they were working together. Adebayo said the address was fake, but started motivating the girl on the need for them to help Fisher,” the source explained.

“Fisher, while lamenting being stranded, claimed that he was in possession of some papers that could be converted to plenty money but told Adebayo and the girl that he needed money to buy chemicals to convert the papers to money.

“Adebayo quickly dropped N60,000. The girl, who seemed convinced, gave Fisher her gold jewellery and N10,000 and also went to withdraw N65,000 from a nearby ATM and gave it to Fisher, who told Adebayo and the girl to take an oath not to reveal his secret to anyone.”

After taking the oath, Fisher gave them a location to meet him the next day. When they got there, the Ogun State indigene reportedly showed them the sack containing the money and told Adebayo and the girl that the spirit responsible for converting the papers to money was asking for human blood as sacrifice.

“Fisher said to prevent both of them from dying, they needed to have sex. He also used the oath they took to threaten them. So, the girl out of fear of dying, followed them to an uncompleted building around 9pm on Majiyagbe Street, Ipaja, where Adebayo had sex with her,” the source added.

After Fisher, 42, and Adebayo, 32, perpetrated the crime on September 3, 2022, the girl left the uncompleted building and proceeded to the Ipaja Police Station to report the case for investigation.

The policemen, led by the Ipaja Divisional Police Officer, CSP Tokunbo Abaniwonda, reportedly swung into action and in a two-week sting, arrested the duo at their hideouts in Ipaja on September 16, 2022.

During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime, saying they only manipulated the victim.

“I only slept with her once and I used a contraceptive. I got the contraceptive at a mallam’s shop in the area. I used the contraceptive because I don’t really know the girl. I needed to protect myself,” he said. 

Narrating how he perpetrated the crime, Fisher said he met Adebayo through a friend, Bisi, who he claimed trained him on how to formulate stories to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

“I have been asking a lot of people for the address. While some said they did not know the place, others advised me to go back to the country I came from, but I said I could not go back because of the goods that I brought.

“The girl got convinced when I said I was looking for people to help me count Nigerian money because I said I don’t know how to count it. Meanwhile, I and Adebayo had been talking to people but they did not answer us.

“It was when the girl was passing that I explained to her and she listened to me. So, Adebayo also pretended to be a passer-by and when he was passing, I signalled to him, and asked the girl to help me ask him for the location of the address and Adebayo said he had not heard of such an address before.”

Spokesperson of the command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the incident said the suspects had been charged to court.

The suspects were arraigned at the Ejigbo Magistrate’s Court on three counts bordering on obtaining by false pretences, fraudulent conversion and sexual assault, offences punishable under sections 411, 314 (1), 287 and 136 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

The men were later remanded in prison as the matter was adjourned till October 17, 2022, for further hearing.